Of Trumpets and Black Ants
by ariadne-chan
Summary: "We'll see, if he's a good boy and loves you as much as your Daddy does, I might let you say yes, but until then! No boys! Not until you're, hmm, fifty!" A father and daughter scene concerning the, ahem, rather 'premature' matters of the heart. Postfic.
1. Chapter 1

**legal **_*ahem*_ **disclaimer: no ants were harmed during the making of this story.** _*coughs* _**written for the la_corda_fics livejournal community writing competition. prompt: luck.**_ ^-^  
_

---

'_Mmph, ants are the very bane of my existence—'_

—thought one Hihara Kazuki as he stared at a proud, straight line of black ants and simultaneously chomped on freshly baked meaty bun. Lucky ants, ha! He glared at them mutinously and huffed—with another death glare he turned his back on the tiresome creatures and resumed loud chomping on his food.

---

They came out of nowhere—Kaho and I lived a blissful, ant-free, married life, until they stormed in and conquered us with fire and water.

To be fair, they didn't bother Kaho too much. But they seemed to single _me_ out as their number one enemy, from the first day they arrived, and I have all the reasons to wonder just _why. _They attacked my innocent meaty bun, they invaded my clothes, and they dared to _bite_ me in all sorts of places with an utter disregard for privacy.

"Maybe they're man-eating," I suggested to Kaho one day, as I held my arm out for her to inspect. It was pockmarked with small, red spots, and you bet I'm irritated as hell. "I think they've matured into mutant ants—developed a taste for human flesh or something."

"Kazuki, dear, don't be silly," said my Kahoko as she tossed her hair and laughed her beautiful laugh. "They're just ants."

"_Mutant_ ants," I insisted stubbornly. "I mean, they're black! I didn't even _know_ black ants bit people!"

"They're just ants, Kazuki," she repeated, and then with a sigh of defeat rolled her eyes. "Nami told me that black ants are supposed to bring luck to the house they enter."

So they'd decided to steal my wife's heart as well? Was _nothing_ sacred?

And so I tossed and turned _every_ night and cruelly brushed off the whispery, crawling sensation I felt on my legs, on my arms, and sometimes at the nape of my neck. Kaho, for some irritating, unfathomable reason, continued to sleep undisturbed. I resumed the mundane routine of shaking my clothes out before I wore them and grimly watched tiny black bodies fall from the fabric. I even blasted them off our bananas at breakfast, one by one, but it was difficult to aim, because they were so small. Kaho repeated what she had said to me before—that black ants bring luck, and still I refused to believe her. I usually pride myself for being an easy-to-please, cheerful, positive-thinking person, but not this time—ants _definitely _were a menace.

I finally snapped when they made it into the cookie jar. Sealed by _me _personally, and they _still_ managed to make their way in short of nibbling a hole through the glass. I lost it.

"All ants should die a slow, painful death, and then cease to exist so no one would have to clean up the bodies," I raged at Kaho that night as she wiped her bow clean. What do you know, instead of sympathizing, she _chuckled._

"Aren't you going a bit far with this whole ant business?"

I glowered. "They're evil. _Evil_. I caught them swarming over my trumpet the other day! _My trumpet, Kaho! _What on Earth could ants want with a _trumpet_?!"

"Maybe they were blessing it," she teased, knowing that I was frustrated with her lack of support and continued echo that ants brought luck. "Maybe you'll be able to compose a beautiful piece on it or something."

"Kaho, ants are _not_ lucky!" I protested. "They're pests and nuisances to society and should never have been created!"

"Whatever you say, Kazuki…"

Frustrated with her indifference, I made a vow to myself.

_This is war__!!!_

Since I wasn't too sure how to shoo ants away—_swatting _worked at the moment I did the swatting, but ten times the ants I have swatted turned up to replace the lost ones and swell their ranks—I decided to resort to good old pest extinguisher, which, after a short phone call, Fuyuumi-chan assured me worked quite well.

"I'm buying that poison stuff tomorrow," I informed Kaho as brightly as I could as we got into bed the following night. "I'm _reveling_ in the fact that they won't plague me anymore this time tomorrow. Tonight's your last chance, ants!" I added impishly to the bedcover, underneath which I knew lurked an army.

Kaho only shook her head, amused as she was with my declaration. "Aww, the poor things don't have a personal vendetta against you, Kazuki…" I was about to strongly protest both her statement and the fact that she had called them 'poor things' when she added, a mischievous smile tugging the corners of her mouth, "...and besides, they bring us luck."

I had just about lost my patience with her mantra. "_Hihara Kahoko!" _I barked,"Will you tell me _one_ good thing that's happened since the ants came here?! Just _one_ lucky thing!!!"

She gave me a grin and said softly, "Well, I'm pregnant."

As I was saying, ants are a wonderful asset to the community, delivering luck and joy to the world as they blaze a beautiful trail into people's homes, leaving wonder and love in their wake, and I gladly welcome them into our home.

---

**whoever said that hihara kazuki isn't capable of acting all pouty and childish? _and_ at twenty five? :3** for talbot-stark.


	2. Chapter 2

**i have received quite a number of reviews and private messages that urged me to continue this piece of work. i originally planned to publish 'Of Trumpets and Black Ants' as a quick one shot to practice my writing, but then plot bunnies bit and so here goes a short omake. heehee. incredibly OOC, methinks, poor humor. blah.**

_Between moodswings, morning sickness and cravings, Hihara Kazuki discovers that actually getting Hino Kahoko to marry him was the easy part. Dealing with pregnancy however, is another matter entirely. But then again, the mood swings were all worth it._

During the first few months of her pregnancy, Kahoko had turned into a banshee. In Hihara Kazuki's opinion anyways, though he would never dare tell her when she was in this state. Everything he said she would snap at and he would get a blow to the skull. He really hoped this would be their one and only child.

Of course, a couple months later it became easier. Or so he thought. Kahoko became less angry and more emotional--she would cry over the simplest things--he had to be very careful about what he said, and it was like walking on broken glass. She _always_ asked for Tsukimori Len of all the bloody people and it was always _hard _because he was in Austria, dang it. Why couldn't she ask for Shimizu or Tsuchiura who lived only several blocks away? Sheesh. She had cravings too, the weirdest things, pickles, ramen, out-of-season fruits... all that. Yes, they would never have another child after this. Blame it on the ant thugs for bringing supposed luck in their household. _Hmpf._

By the time she was about eight and a half months pregnant she began to get really tired all the time, and she would sleep through most of the day. Leaving her violin in the dust--it was the strangest thing. He was beginning to regret getting her pregnant...

The promised day, when Kaho was screaming and crying, Kazuki honestly couldn't stand seeing her in so much pain. But he didn't dare leave her side. He simply held her hand helplessly whispering words of comfort, and Kazuki vowed to never make Kahoko go through this kind of pain again.

But when the doctor brought in his beautiful baby girl with grass-green hair, which was his and Kaho's golden eyes, he couldn't help but think. The first time he held his baby daughter, the violinist looked at him happily with proud eyes. Perhaps they would have another child. Maybe two. Or three. The mood swings were worth it.

**thanks for reading! ja! ^-^**


	3. Chapter 3

**surprise, surprise.**

Hihara Kazuki ran a hand over her soft cheek, brushing aside a lock of hair that had fallen over her angelic face during her peaceful slumber. Outside, the tiny pinpricks of light cast an ethereal glow against the unblemished skin, and he smiled faintly. _His angel._

She was a restless sleeper, and Kazuki watched in amusement as she impatiently flipped to her side, eyes tightly shut but with a small smile on her face nevertheless. She raised a hand to scratch her cheek unconsciously, and mumbled intelligibly. He continued to watch, utterly amused, like he'd never watched her in her sleep before. He wondered what she could be dreaming of. And just then, she began to shake from the cold of the air conditioning. Kazuki pulled the covers up over her, tucking her in tightly. She can't afford to catch a cold, primarily and especially because tomorrow is her first day of kindergarten.

Kazuki is thrilled beyond words.

He just found it amazing, _amazing, really, _that his 4.6 pound baby girl is now four years old and ready to start kindergarten. She had looked so tiny when she was born. She gurgled happily and mumbled-Kazuki barely made out what she was saying-"Uncah Yoou, catch teh piggy." At that point he couldn't help but laugh. _Our little bundle of joy, _he mused. For just when he thought that his daughter couldn't possibly be more wonderful than she already is, she proves him wrong.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he jumped a little from the unexpectedness of the touch.

"Kazuki, what are you doing, staying up so late? She's not the only one with a big day tomorrow," Kahoko whispered softly. Her eyes looked sort of watery from sleep, and her clothes were slightly rumpled. She took a seat on the edge of the bed and twined her hand with his. _Sigh._ He couldn't possibly get any luckier.

"Alright, alright, just a sec," he answered with a small laugh, and he leaned in and kissed Kasumi on the cheek. "Sweet dreams, baby girl," he added fondly, pulling the covers tight around her and then sheepishly turned to her mother and placed a kiss on her cheek. Kahoko simply smiled at him. _Happiness._

"Shall we go to bed now?" she inquired after a moment's silence. "Tomorrow will be an exciting day for all of us. Hm, Kazuki?"

"Yeah. I love you."

Hihara Kahoko grabbed him by the hand and led him across the hall and into their room, as he followed her like a devoted puppy. He would follow her to the ends of the earth.

:]


	4. Chapter 4

**it is with a heavy heart that i admit that the exclusive rights to La Corda D'Oro and all related merchandise belong to their respective owners, and i'm not one of them unfortunately.**

_:3_

"And so..." the proud father continued thoughtfully as he picked the bundled-up girl by the waist and spilled her in the air. "...and so, the priest will ask, 'Do you, Kasumi, take this man to be your husband?"

The little green-haired girl giggled at her father's 'priest' voice. She always found it funny when he tried to be serious_—_his eyes always twinkled no matter how hard he concentrated to look the stuffy part.

"Then what will I say, Daddy?" she asked innocently, her eyes full of childish wonder.

"Ah, my little Kasumi, you will shake your head and say, 'No! I will only be with my Daddy!'"

He settled his daughter between his shoulder blades, his hands carefully gripping her ankles to keep her from falling off. Father and daughter had gone off to watch a school production, and were well on their way home. Kasumi had thrown her hands up in the air while Kazuki jogged, and the laughter continued, echoing through the snow-covered park.

Once Kasumi's giggling had settled down, she whispered, "I asked Mommy and she said to say 'yes.' Why does Daddy want me to say 'no?'"

A smile shone brightly on Kazuki's face. "We'll see, if he's a good boy and loves you as much as your Daddy does, I might let you say yes, but until then! No boys! Not until you're, hmm, fifty!"

A small amount of snow found its way into Kazuki's nose, and his daughter wiped it away with the sleeve of her jacket with a giggle.

"Ten!"

"Oh, so we're negotiating now?" he loosened his grip and lowered his Kasumi to the ground just to quickly pick her up before her feet could skim the floor. "Forty!"

"Daddy's not even forty yet," the girl soon wiggled out of her father's grip to run a few feet away. "I wanna see boys when Daddy started," she announced proudly, but mocked him in a way only her and her mother could.

Her defeated father collapsed in the snow. He whined and flailed a bit, and Kasumi ran over to sit on him as if claiming victory.

"And my boyfriend..." she trailed off, and Kazuki felt a stab of fear. '_His daughter of eight years already knows the word 'boyfriend?' _It hadn't occurred to him until now just _why_ she kept on asking questions about weddings and marriages and relationships and stuff! He cringed inwardly and narrowed his eyes. No more weekend late-night television sessions for Kasumi. _Hmf._

"...my boyfriend will be more handsome than Daddy too!" she exclaimed, and another whine came from the trumpet-player. He rolled on the snow-capped ground, glared a bit at his daughter and said in a pained voice, "No one's better-looking than your Daddy, you said so yourself!"

"But Shouta-kun is really good-looking, isn't he, Daddy? And he has purple hair. How _cool_ is that?"

Hihara Kazuki by now was close to tears.

"S-Shouta?" he managed to stutter.

"Yes! And..." she paused to think for a moment, triumphant at having scored against him. Then she thought of the perfect thing to set her Daddy off. "We'll have tons of kids!"

The time it took for Hihara Kazuki to scoop his child off the ground, sprint home, and almost convince Kahoko as he spluttered hysterics with a pathetic, panic-induced voice that their daughter should be home-schooled was a true record-breaker. Several miles away, a little purple-haired boy sneezed. It wasn't a big sneeze_—_just a small, quick one from the dust that lifted from the piano as he started his lesson. He took a glance at one of his father's high school pictures_—_the one with five boys and two girls and a familiar lavender-haired teacher. _Seiso._ He focused on his scores and smiled faintly as he began to play. _Five more years._

_:3_


	5. Chapter 5

**wahaha! surprise! ^-^**

Kahoko felt a little guilty about thinking it, but the rain was lovely, really. There was something beautiful in the way it held and softened the landscape, muffling the stray figures in rolls of misted velvet.

Maybe she couldn't help but love it because of him, because of the way he'd lift his head on those days and blearily announce that he couldn't be of any use, with weather like that, and return, groundhog-like, to his burrow in her side.

Maybe it was because of the way the rain drumming on the roof blended with his soft breaths, the way the weight of his head seemed all the more comforting when the world was gone.

Maybe it was because of the way the silence allowed her to think that they two were the last on earth. Lord, how joyous that would be.

**a little bit of kahoko wouldn't hurt, would it?**


	6. Chapter 6

**let's skip. several years? ahaha. ^-^**

Everything that Kasumi touched immediately became an art form, no matter how insignificant or how trivial it was. It was clearly a mistake to bring her to the new ice cream parlor, where the customer could be as fussy as he wanted with sauces, nuts, sprinkles, and fruit. The three-scoop plateau quickly became the tallest mountain on the planet as the girl pressed sticky fingers against the clean glass and pointed to nearly every addition on display.

The worst part was that Shouta was forced to sit across from her at the table and observe Kasumi's careful destruction of her masterpiece. It began with sucking the cherries and whipped cream on top, to swirling the strawberry sauce and nuts around her finger and popping it into her mouth, to licking the spoon with a delicate tongue and reddened lips.

"Kasumi..." Shouta said irritably after twenty minutes of this sweet torture. He was, after all, a Yunoki, and doesn't take very well into being ignored. He'd known that skipping piano practices in favor of their little 'trip' was bound to be a Really Bad Idea #307, and the chances were very high that his father had already known about it.

"...Yeesh?" Kasumi mumbled, taking in another spoonful of the now-liquid sin. And another. He never stopped wondering, discreetly, where she keeps all the food. "Waahrrt?"

"...are you done yet?"

"Nawwhr."

He pursed his lips in impatience just as his eyes located the ice cream cone-shaped clock perched on the wall. Fifteen minutes to four in the afternoon, and despite all breeding and bearing that should have kept him from sporting a negative look slash aura no matter how slight, Shouta frowned. He knew that if Kasumi was so much as _five minutes_ late from the usual four, her father would raise an armed search party and, with his famous trumpet as a weapon, whack all the parties involved in getting his daughter delayed, to death.

Yunoki Shouta kept his face as smooth as possible and turned to look at Kasumi, oblivious to his internal fear as she gobbled the rest of the dessert. She raised a hand to remove stray strands of grass-green hair that hid her amber eyes and smiled cheerfully.

"You agreed to walk me home, right? Ehh, Shouta-kun?"

Really Bad Idea #308.

**:3**

**eh, was it cute? i need your ideas. ^-^**


	7. Chapter 7

**shouta pov. ahehe. would switch back to kazuki's on the next chapter.**

She was waiting for him as usual. Yunoki Shouta permitted himself a small smile when he spotted the girl with the long, grass-green hair under the tree. He had slipped his minder once again and snuck out to the park near Seiso Academy _again._ Kasumi was already there when he arrived at their meeting place_, _and she was chewing her favorite blueberry-flavored gum absently as she busied herself on her scores.

It had become something of a habit for them to meet outside of school at least thrice a week. The twelve year old was pretty sure he would go insane without these meetings, despite the fact that running around with a girl from a 'simple' social status was not appropriate behavior for a Yunoki heir. He was simply tired of all the tutoring and instructions and worthless details that involved business_—_tired of cumbersome flower arranging sessions and tea ceremonies _and _traditional gardening that he deemed as total waste of time; he was tired of socializing with _influential _people he didn't know or even care about.

The reason just hadn't occurred to him before_—_he hadn't even tried to ask, really, why he _couldn't_ simply go out and meet with her without all the needless secrecy when _her_ father was supposed to have been _his _father's high school best friend. That was probably one of the reasons that Shouta liked their meetings so much. Here he didn't have to worry about proper etiquette or remembering lessons that were almost military in their execution. He learned far more out here than he ever had from his tutors.

Kasumi looked up, grinned at him, and as the two of them took off, Shouta felt something in him loosen and relax. Kasumi was his freedom. She was the one person who he could just be Shouta with. Whenever he's with her he didn't care about family background or proper behavior; neither did he care that his family would surely be disappointed. He loved the fact that Kasumi was far too curious for her own good, that her optimism was contagious, that she was hungry all the time; he even loved her tendency to go off on tangents. He loved her incessant need to tinker with things and the way she would just blurt out the first thing that comes to her mind. All that mattered to him was the fact that she was Kasumi, and that soon, they wouldn't have to meet outside in secret. In three years, they would be attending Seiso. _Together._

Hihara Kasumi shot him a mischievous look, and the game of the day was set. She laughed and pinched his nose before dashing down the street.

"Tag. You're it," she called over her shoulder. "Oh, and you're treating me to lunch today!"

Shouta just grinned and gave chase. He lost himself in the fun of the chase, and the speed, and the wind in her hair, and her friendship. This was what childhood was supposed to be.

**hahaha. childish perspective, eh. i apologize for the confusing time-frame for my chapters. i am perfectly incapable of writing in chronological order. XD**


	8. Chapter 8

**sorry, can't keep my mind wandering off: shoutaxkasumi yay!**

Hihara Kasumi stared, dumbfounded, at the newest arcade game.

There were an array of colorful triggers, switches, and knobs, all who were flashing and beeping to the nth degree.

"How did I miss playing this game?" she wailed, dropping her black schoolbag to the floor and plopping noisily onto the stool in front of the machine. "Kei-kun is going to get it for not telling me," she mumbled with a scowl.

After depositing her silver coin, she rotated her shoulders a few times in preparation. _This game was going down!_

She leant forward, nose almost touching the screen, fingers poised carefully above the red button.

The screen flashed white briefly, and then a green, slimy monster flew down from the sky.

Kasumi screeched, jumping away and clasping a hand over her heart.

There was an amused chuckle from directly behind, and she frowned. "You're distracting me, Shouta-kun," she hissed, digging out another coin and pushing it forcefully through the slot. "Go away!"

Yunoki Shouta cocked an eyebrow as he watched her pull furiously at the handles, little fingers slamming down loudly on the buttons.

She wailed, pounding a fist down on the edge of the game. With a few muttered words, she began digging around in her pockets for another coin.

Her face adopted a defeated look, her form slouching back against the chair with an exaggerated sigh.

"Out of money, Kasumi?" Shouta asked, approaching her and resting a hand against the back of her seat.

The girl threw him a warning glance, and he chuckled. He was supposed to be the one shooting off dark looks, albeit secretly.

She watched as he pulled a coin from his trousers and placed it into the slot. "Let me help you so I don't end up giving you all my money," he muttered, leaning across her shoulders and resting his palms atop her hands.

Kasumi sucked in a quick breath, goose shivers trembling throughout her body as his hot breath tickled the sensitive skin of her neck.

"I can do it myself," she forced out as he began to lead her through the game's obstacles, her voice shaky and jumpy.

He laughed softly against her ear, eyelashes brushing across her temple. "Somehow, I highly doubt that."

Kasumi felt a blush stain her cheeks, but she didn't pull her hands away. "He had better not die, or you're going to get it," she whispered, continuing to allow him to guide her hands across the buttons.

Needless to say, together, they were able to get past level 10.

:3

**wee, gotta love arcade games. ^-^v**


	9. Chapter 9

**listened to this song while i was toying with this ficlet. :3 i suggest you listen to this while reading, then: **just look up 'kaerimichi no love song' by tegomass on youtube. enjoy! :3

Scowling, Hihara Kasumi flopped onto one of the stools of her favorite coffee house and set to peeling off her mittens. Throwing them down, she wrenched off her earmuffs and tossed them across the small table. Mumbled words drifted from her tongue and sat heavily in the air.

Yunoki Shouta peered at her over his newspaper, brow arched. Kasumi caught him looking and stuck her tongue out. "For a change you arrived earlier than I did!" she ranted, "You always enjoyed making me wait! Well! What do you want?"

He shrugged and disappeared behind the paper again.

Kasumi fidgeted with the table napkin and threw him a glance, chewing on the inside of her cheek. Finally, after frustration ate into her mind, she pounded a tiny fist onto the table. "Well? Aren't you going to ask me what's wrong?"

He reappeared, folding the newspaper gently. "If it has anything to do with business issues, then no. I've gladly read my share of it."

"What?"

"Nothing." Sipping a bit of coffee, he turned to look at her. "So, what's wrong?"

Her momentary confusion slipped away and she thumped another fist. "I hate Christmas!"

Shouta choked, nearly dropping his cup. "Hate Christmas? Kasumi, you're the only girl I know who lives and eats like it's Christmas everyday."

She gave another scowl, cheeks flushing. "This year is different." She huffed and crossed her arms.

He waited patiently for her to continue, but when it was evident that no further explanation was coming, he sighed. "Well, why is this year different?"

"Because! Crazy Izumi-sensei decided that he was going to throw a stupid party on stupid Christmas Eve and he said that I should bring a stupid guest and I don't have one! Besides, the whole thing is just plain stupid!"

His forehead crinkled in momentary confusion. "Why don't you just ask someone?"

"Baka!" She squealed, slapping at his newspaper. "Because I don't know anybody to take! Kei-kun is already taking his girlfriend and I'd die if I have to take my dad! Can you imagine what everyone would say if Hihara Kazuki showed up at a Christmas party with his daughter! I'd die of humiliation!"

Shouta nodded slowly and silently ignored her continuing rants. Minutes tinkered by, and finally, she stopped with a huffing chest and pink cheeks.

"Well," he said with an easy shrug. "Why don't you just take me?"

The girl looked at him uneasily, teeth biting at her lip. Her eyes hooked onto his, and her neck reddened. "Are you sure? I mean, everyone might think that we're—"

"We're what?"

"Eh? N-nothing—"

"Don't worry about it. So, Christmas Eve?"

She nodded, and a sudden smile flooded her face. "Thank you, Shouta-kun! You're the best!" Standing up, she grabbed her mittens and made a dash for the door. "Pick me up at seven, okay?"

She twirled on the sidewalk, giddily excited to find snowflakes clumping on her hair. But whether all her enthusiasm was from the falling snow, or something else, she wasn't quite sure.

"Kasumi!" She turned to find Shouta striding towards her. "You forgot your earmuffs!"

He stopped in front of her, and she marveled at how well the snow suited him. Catching her gaze, he pulled the muffs over her ears with a small smile.

Patting her bun, he stepped away. "See you Christmas Eve."

Hihara Kasumi flashed him a stellar smile and pulled on his arm. "If you plan on picking me up, we'll have to tell Dad, or he's not going to let you in. Heh."

She dragged him along, glad at discovering that, after her heart slowed to a normal pace, Christmas wouldn't be as bad as she thought.

**this is how i've always imagined kasumi to look like: **(http:/ yfrog. com/ euyehrj) **and shouta this:** (http: / yfrog. com/ 6xyohrj) remove the spaces and go! ^-^


	10. Chapter 10

"I've never stayed up this late before," she whispered into the mouthpiece of her phone. Her eyes darted to the closed door of her room and added, "Is that bad?"

From the other end, his soft chuckle crackled into her ears. "Of course not. But you practice every night, Kasumi. When concours week comes, you'd be up all night. 'Might as well get used to it."

"Easy for you to say," she pouted, "Seeing as _you're _halfway through the day and _I'm _stuck here whispering and muttering just so Dad won't hear and creep into my room and discover me awake in this ungodly hour! Well! Is that fair! "

"_You _called _me, _Kasumi."

She grinned guiltily. "Well, just to remind you that you _have _five days before the Christmas party!"

"I never forget things."

"You forgot to drop by the house before you went away!" she accused. "You said you'd ask Dad if you could take me to the dance! You know he'd _never_ let go by myself!"

There was silence on the other line, and Kasumi frowned. Shouta-kun hadn't _intentionally_ planned on delaying meeting with her Dad, had he? Sure, her bestfriend never seemed much at ease around and especially with the famous trumpet-player, but Kasumi sure isn't showing up on the dance _alone_. Or with her Dad. Either way, Kei-kun isn't going to let her live it down.

"Well?" she demanded.

The young pianist replied in defeat. "I knew it was a mistake the moment I asked you to take _me._"

Her expression softened up, and she rolled over the other side of the bed. The chord of the phone tangled her. "What's it like?" she asked instead, "America, I mean."

"Not the same as home. But, well, right now, I'm eating lunch at this outdoor café that you would love. Although, it's beginning to rain, so I might have to head inside soon."

There was a sudden rumble in the background, and then the distinctive sound of a downpour. She could hear a stampede of footsteps as people hurried for cover.

He was panting by the time he spoke to her again. "My spaghetti and meatballs are ruined."

Kasumi laughed. "And your scores?"

She could picture him slapping himself in the forehead. "Aish."

"Huuuh, always hammering about carelessness," she grumbled as she rolled back toward the window. "Why do you have to spend five days there, anyway?"

"You know Father asked me to."

Kasumi let out a sigh and stared at the sky. The moon, bloated and white against the dark background, peered out from behind a pile of hovering clouds. Her eyes drifted back to the closed door, and a moment of silence tinkered past.

"I should probably get to bed," she finally said, propping herself up against the headboard. "It's past four, Shouta-kun, _four_! Dad's going to complain about the long-distance bill. Augh, he's gonna ask questions!"

Shouta laughed. "I'll be asking your Dad about the dance as soon as I get home, alright? Don't worry about it."

"Don't forget my postcards!"

"Hn. Whatever you say."

Even though he couldn't see her, Kasumi placed a hand over her heart. "Take care, alright, Shouta-kun? Love ya!"_  
_

He paused briefly on the other line.

"I love you, too. Always."

A crack of lightning lit the sky, and his words were lost on her. She pulled the phone away from her ear, failing to press the off button.

"Shouta-kun!"

She heard him fumble with his phone. "Kasumi?"

Her window splattered with streams of water. "It's raining here, too."

She looked back up at the moon, and could have sworn she saw his smile.

"I know."

—

**ack! experimental. XD**


	11. Chapter 11

"Because!" Yunoki Shouta exclaimed in irritation, dragging a hand through purple hair. "Because there are fifty-six reasons I shouldn't!"

Etou Keiji raised an eyebrow and leaned back in the booth. "What? Fifty-six?"

"Fifty-six."

"You've counted?"

"Yeah. So?"

Kei folded his arms in front of his chest and smirked. "So? How much free time do you have, anyway?"

"It's—" the young pianist shook his head in irritation. "—it's just something I've had on my mind a lot lately, okay?"

"Uh-huh? Just something? And you really came up with fifty-six reasons?"

"Yep."

Kei whistled quietly. "That's a lot of reasons."

"I know."

Kei paused, reached out towards the table and grabbed his steaming mug of coffee. He fixed his eyes towards his best friend and asked, "What kind of reasons, exactly?"

Sighing, Shouta began to count off on his fingers. "She's—I mean, we—we're too young. There's too much competition. Her dad doesn't let her date. Hihara-sama and I have yet to carry on a civil conversation. He'd kill me if I tried. She's never had a boyfriend and wouldn't be prepared for...well, me. I'm not sure my father would approve, anyway. And I don't have the time. She thinks I'm a jerk. Statistically, relationships formed at our age rarely work. I have a role at the company and school to think about. And concours. We _are _best friends, for God's sake, but we don't actually have anything in common. She could have any guy she wants. My reputation would be shot. She—"

"Okay, okay, I get the point," Kei interrupted, waving his hands for Shouta to stop, which he did, lapsing them into a silence that contrasted sharply against the noise of the restaurant. A moment later, Kei took a sip of his water, apparently in deep thought, then set it down and looked at his best buddy. "What if I gave you one reason that you should do it, that was worth fifty-six reasons on its own?"

Shouta looked at him speculatively. "If such a reason existed, they would balance each other out and I'd be back to where I started."

Kei grinned. "Reason number one: Because you love her, Shou."

"Stop calling me that."

"Loser."

Shouta sank into his chair, muttering, "That's not even a reason."

"It is too! It's probably the best reason to do anything! Hell, it should be worth fifty-seven reasons, easy!"

Shrugging uncomfortably, the pianist said, "Fifty-five."

"Fifty-six."

"Fine, fifty-six, therefore it's a tie and doesn't matter anyway. Geez. You are such a child."

"Child my ass. If she ever got wind that you were back from America without telling her, you'd end up in a hospital."

"Shut up."

"It's three days to the dance, and you have yet to ask her dad."

"Oh, God."

Kei sighed. "So I just need to come up with one more reason for you to tell Kasumi that you love her and the scale will tip?"

"Probably. But there are no other reasons."

"Sure there are," replied Kei grandly, winking. "Reason number two: Because she loves you back."

—

**ahaha. boys don't actually talk like this, eh? XD**


	12. Chapter 12

Heading into the ice cream parlor this morning I wasn't paying much attention and ended up bumping into the doorway. My sleeve got caught on the door as it shut, snapping the button on my cuff right off.

So for the rest of the day my right sleeve dragged a significant bit lower than my left; I'd even accidently gotten a bit into my milkshake…and it was in that moment that I realized Kasumi hadn't come into the parlor that day. And it sort of gave me the same feeling that my button did. Eventually I lumbered back to school, back to the library where Keiji had been hanging out all day.

"Where's she?"

"Hn."

"Shou. Is she still mad at you for not letting her know you're back? And, er, for not taking her to the dance?"

"Understatement."

It just felt awkward with her missing.

—


End file.
